Photos of Fukushima

From Arkadiusz Podniesiński’s photo essay of the Fukushima disaster:

While I am in Futaba I am accompanied by a married couple, Mitsuru and Kikuyo Tani (aged 74 and 71), who show me the house from which they were evacuated. They visit it regularly but due to the regulations they can do this a maximum of once a month, and only for a few hours at a time. They take advantage of these opportunities even though they gave up hope of returning permanently a long time ago. They check to see if the roof is leaking and whether the windows have been damaged by the wind or wild animals. If necessary they make some minor repairs. Their main reason for returning however is sentimental and the attachment they feel to this place. A yearning for the place in which they have their origins and spent their entire lives.

Kikuyo Tani in front of the entrance to her house.
Kikuyo Tani in front of the entrance to her house.
The sign reads “nuclear energy is the energy of a bright future.” Another one is too real: “local nuclear energy guarantees a lively future.”
The sign reads “nuclear energy is the energy of a bright future.” Another one is too real: “local nuclear energy guarantees a lively future.”
Site where vehicles have been dumped. Aerial photograph.
Site where vehicles have been dumped. Aerial photograph.

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Economics of Climate Change

Mark Z. Jacobson, professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Stanford gave a talk at the New School in 2012 about the economics of renewable energy.

His part of the talk starts at 18:50.

See also: his TED debate with Stewart Brand about nuclear energy.

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Renewables are winning

Bloomberg on some promising trends in U.S. energy production.

For the first time, widespread adoption of renewables is effectively lowering the capacity factor for fossil fuels. That’s because once a solar or wind project is built, the marginal cost of the electricity it produces is pretty much zero—free electricity—while coal and gas plants require more fuel for every new watt produced. If you’re a power company with a choice, you choose the free stuff every time.

It’s a self-reinforcing cycle. As more renewables are installed, coal and natural gas plants are used less. As coal and gas are used less, the cost of using them to generate electricity goes up. As the cost of coal and gas power rises, more renewables will be installed.

See also: a wonky financial analysis of the residential solar market.

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Refrigerator of the future

From a concept kitchen developed by IKEA, IDEO, and design students from Lund University and Eindhoven University of Technology.

While we often see smart refrigerators as in concept kitchens, IKEA and the designer believe that fridges will become obsolete in the future due to their energy inefficiency. Rather, people will store food much as how they have done so in the past—using materials that are naturally insular, such as cooling ceramic, to keep items as fresh as possible. People will no longer buy groceries on a weekly basis, but with automatic delivery from drones and the like, fresh food will be just as easy to get on demand.

“Clear containers that display the state of food and serve as a visual reminder to eat before it goes bad.”
“Clear containers that display the state of food and serve as a visual reminder to eat before it goes bad.”

See also: MoMA’s 2010 design exhibition, Counter Space.

Link via Dan W

Shell's party malfunction (updated again)

From Occupy Seattle:

Last night Logan Price, a Seattle Occupier who’s now living in New York, managed to infiltrate a private party thrown by Shell Oil at the Space Needle to celebrate the launch of its Arctic drilling program. He caught this amazing video.

From TreeHugger:

Everything about this is, quite frankly, hilarious. Beyond any satisfaction gleaned from seeing such a preposterous party come to a disastrous end, metaphors abound, and they’re about as subtle as a sledgehammer: if Shell can’t even handle a three-foot replica of a rig that pumps booze, how is the company going to fare in the Arctic deep?

I’m going to hold out hope that this was a legitimate malfunction on the part of Shell, not the work of an activist.

Update: Gawker is reporting that it’s a hoax.

Update 2: In case there was any doubt left, this the work of the Yes Men.

Link via Eric Brelsford